Coming in from a kayak trip around John Hopkins Inlet (Courtesy Marylyn Williams)

If you’ve never traveled to Alaska previously, and you’re overwhelmed by the vastness of this most beautiful of our 50 states, even though you’ve been dying to go there, there are some good ways to get your feet wet (no pun intended). When Sarah and I took our latest girls’ getaway last summer, we booked a week-long small yacht tour of the Inside Passage through American Safari Cruises, which places you on a small luxury yacht with 12 to 36 other passengers and plies the small bays inaccessible to the increasingly large number of cruise ships that come sailing into Alaska’s southeast archipelago. Not only will you enjoy comfortable (if small) accommodations aboard these small ships, you’ll also experience unparalleled access to the Alaska wilds (including unescorted kayaking excursions, explorations by skiff, and hiking adventures) while still being able to spend your evenings in something much finer than a tent. I’m talking pretty well-done gourmet meals, an open bar, and daily opportunities for massage, yoga, and hot tub immersion. Yes, it’s pricey. But if your goal is to get an overview of southeast Alaska without sharing the experience with a thousand of your closest friends on a mega cruise ship and never setting your foot on land, it’s well worth the expense.